1. Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and a system for reconciling incompatibilities between programmable devices for connectivity, communication, and control (including exchange or transmission of data) between incompatible programmable devices without hardware modifications (if any). More particularly, a method and a system is provided for communicating with and for controlling of programmable apparatuses using computing devices such as desktops, mobile computing devices, etc. that communicate with and control a programmable apparatus via a physical interface (such as a physical port) of the computing device.
2. Description of Related Art
Use of mobile computing devices (e.g., a mobile phones, etc.) for wireless communication with Digital Multiplexer (DMX-512) lighting fixtures are well known and have been in use for a number of years. DMX-512 based mobile application (or DMX mobile “app”) for the DMX-512 lighting fixture allow wireless transmission of wireless signals by a mobile computing device to be transmitted via a WI-FI™ connection to a dedicated WI-FI™ router, which receives and converts the wireless WI-FI™ signals into Ethernet signals. The dedicated WI-FI™ router transmits the Ethernet signal by a physically connected wire to a dedicated DMX-512 signal converter that is also physically wire connected to one or more DMX-512 based lighting fixtures. The DMX-512 signal converter is a well-known specialty device that is designed to convert Ethernet signals received from the wireless dedicated WI-FI™ router into DMX-512 signals.
A drawback with conventional wireless systems using a mobile computing device for wireless control of a Digital Multiplexer (DMX-512) lighting fixture is that it requires at least two additional pieces of hardware between the mobile computing device and the DMX-512 light fixture, which are the dedicated WI-FI™ router and the dedicated DMX-512 signal converter, including their respective connections to one another and source of power supply. A further drawback with the wireless DMX system using a mobile computing device is that it requires initial setup (or configuration) of and between the mobile computing device, the dedicated WI-FI™ router, and the dedicated DMX-512 signal converter for exclusive communication with one another.
A conventional wireless system using a mobile computing device mentioned above require a dedicated WI-FI™ router for an associated mobile computing device to ensure reliability and signal throughput of the router. DMX-512 lighting fixtures require and use large signal bandwidth for proper operation and hence, the use of a dedicated WI-FI™ router for a specifically associated mobile computing device would prevent and exclude other mobile computing devices from using and routing signals through the router, which may reduce router bandwidth available and needed by the fixture and the associated mobile computing device. Accordingly, dedicated WI-FI™ router would allow only a recognized or associated mobile computing device (through the initial setup) to communicate with the dedicated WI-FI™ router to ensure reliability and signal throughput of the router. It should be noted that use of unrelated WI-FI™ within the same space may also decrease bandwidth due to interference.
Further, most conventional wireless systems using a mobile computing device for wireless control of a DMX-512 lighting fixture do not have the capability to field upgrade (or update or change) a built-in firmware of the DMX-512 lighting fixture via its DMX-512 interface. In fact, changing the firmware of a DMX-512 fixture is generally not done as most of the firmware memory devices used therein are fixed installed and cannot be changed after manufacture and further, no communication protocol exists to field-update or change or modify a built-in firmware of the DMX-512 lighting fixture using its DMX-512 interface.
Other wireless DMX systems exist that do not require WI-FI™, but instead, require a transmitter plugged into the controller and a receiver plugged into lighting fixture. This basically replaces the physical cable with a wireless link. Even with this setup two separate pieces of hardware with two power source connections is required.
Furthermore, traditional DMX-512 devices have embedded user interfaces such as buttons and/or displays for configuration and visual feedback. This takes up a significant amount of physical space and thus constrains the devices to a minimum size greater than of the interface hardware. Further miniaturization of the DMX-512 device is not possible without removing the user interface.
Accordingly, in light of the current state of the art and the drawbacks to current lighting fixture wireless systems that use mobile computing devices mentioned above, a need exists for system and method for communicating with and for controlling of programmable apparatuses using computing devices such as desktops, mobile computing devices (e.g., mobile phones, etc.) that do not use or require a dedicated transmitter/receivers, WI-FI™ router, a dedicated DMX-512 signal converter, and do not need or require an initial setup or configuration for exclusive communications between the components.